And three months ahead I can deal with easily enough
That puts paid to that trip we had planned together.....
Taking OP's Amsterdam to Paris, there are flights in a couple of days for just €42. I don't know the price of a train for that route but I would think that must compare quite favourably.
London to Amsterdam only €29 in a day or two.
Also, it is really funny how people generally assume that we're all guys who are careless. Not everyone who travels in a group of 5 are "dudes", "idiots", "nutcases", and not everyone who makes life choices to enjoy clubs are trashy careless people. Yes, there will be a designated driver. Maybe I did not explain myself clearly. We are definitely NOT planning on drinking and driving through countries. As Shakespeare said "Travelers never did lie, though fools at home condemn them." Boy is that panning out to be oh so very true.
I have no idea what you mean by quoting that saying.
Ghent, Antwerp and Leiden are definitely good suggestions that we would not considered.
All better to reach by train, than by car.
If you want to make use of the car, then visit tiny villages with free parking and countryside. But it doesn't sound like that would be your scene.
For city to city travel, trains will be much less of a pain in the arse. Traffic jams on roads can be horrendous if it so much as splatters a bit of rain, tolls in France are super expensive, as said there are loads of roadworks (just see Google Maps > Directions) which will cause slower movement or even more traffic jams, parking in cities is around €25 per day, even €7.50 per HOUR!! in central Amsterdam...
If you use trains you will travel from city center to city center, a full seat each instead of sitting bum to bum in a narrow, fogged-up car, you can walk around and go have some food in the restaurant carriage, and you will also circumvent the issue of having to return the car in a different country and having to find out about all the different rules in each country for items that are obligatory to have in the car; winter tires and snow chains; traffic rules and the weird flexible speed limits in the Netherlands; vignets and environment stickers, etc.
For example Paris - Amsterdam direct is 3h 20 min by train, or at least 5 hours by car but more likely 7-8 hours one-way if you avoid rush hours(especially now with all those roadworks, and in winter conditions and with lots of inexperienced holiday drivers who cause more accidents).
All of us are in our late 20s. We are planning on driving the car for inter-cities/inter-country travel only. The train tickets are panning out to be just as expensive (if not more) than the flight from SFO. Nonetheless, I have to go back to the drawing board and figure out a few details. I will be sure to follow up with more questions once we decide the itinerary through and through based on all the feedback we have here.
Like I said, that is exactly the opposite of what I would advise. You have no idea of how busy the roads here get and how frequently we have traffic jams, especially in winter.
For now, here is the questions I have:
For NYE, which city/country would you prefer between Belgium and the Netherlands? We are for something classy yet lively, filled with energy, and a place where we can interact with people our age.
Well like I said earlier, the entire Netherlands are like one giant war zone with hundreds getting injured and usually also a few deaths. And hardly any professional, beautiful fireworks shows; just random drunk people lighting their messy 'shows' all over the place and no one paying others any heed. In Belgium it's much more a convivial experience with strangers toasting with strangers and wishing people happy new year. And I already recommended the fireworks show in Ghent.
With regard to a route... how many days are you taking to do the ride? What type of bike and bags will you use? In student cities bike theft is a problem. In small villages it's easier to just park your bike, leave the panniers, only take your most valuable items with you on and go for lunch somewhere. Vrienden op de Fiets addresses (as mentioned in that other thread) provide safe bike parking for overnight.
The route options are endless of course. Don't follow Google Maps but use a scenic bike planner system.
I would try to take in Kinderdijk, Schoonhoven, Vlist, Oudewater, Montfoort, and go via Kamerik, Kanis, and avoid riding too close to Schiphol airport. Waver, Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, Amsterdam... be careful in hectic Amsterdam traffic and don't get your wheel stuck in a tram track.
Or perhaps you want to ride through the dunes using the LF1. https://www.hollandcyclingroutes.com/long-distance-cycle-routes/nederlandse-kustroute
In The Simpsons season 17 episode 11 ("We're on the Road to D'ohwhere"), Nelson says, "It'd be like going to Amsterdam and not taking a walking tour of famous doors." I know this was a joke, but I hoped there might be some truth to it, as I love seeing variety in doors. I have not been able to find any evidence of such a tour online. Is there anything?
Thanks @stcirq , @lucapal , @kenko and @nathalie2
Have taken on board all of your comments and very excited now! This Thorntree thread on lonely planet has been a breath of fresh air, everyone is very helpful and friendly. I tried using TripAdvisor this week and people were very condescending and the “regular guides” Made jokes among each other about misconceptions towards our potential trip, strange bunch! Also tried Reddit... not much help on there.
@clementis_fur_cap the only place I said I didn’t like was amsterdam, the rest were fine!
Marrakech definitely intrigued me, Greece/Cyprus I wouldn’t rule out as its 4 hrs or so.
Ive been to Barcelona 2/3 times and liked it, would like somewhere different. Never been to paris, Berlin there doesn’t seem to be much on it except that the nightlife and transport is amazing and there are museums after that .. it’s a big city though I’ve just realised!
@nathalie2 You summed it up perfectly , what I couldn’t describe Earlier. We are both quite easy going and easy to please . We Like to get up early and walk lots during the day and like to explore, Have nice lunch and dinner. As you pointed out also, just whatever we come across and people watching can be fun too. I am not afraid to spend a bit extra on mid range - higher end accommodation and food. Budget travel or hostel stays etc wouldn’t be my thing.
Museums, historic tours, day trips etc wouldn’t be on our radar.
I suppose for that reason, we would need to go somewhere the weather is warm enough to be outside. I think I didn’t enjoy Amsterdam before Christmas as it was very cold and we were always heading inside , The whole city looked the same and was very grey and dull. The food and drink options were terrible, all budget fast food and if you wanted to go for a drink at night the smell of marijuana was everywhere. Personal opinion!
The fast trains are with Thalys- a privately-held train company. The Thalys trains from Amsterdam will stop at Schipol , then Rotterdam, then go to one of Antwerp’s train stations-Berchem or Centraal. From Antwerp it’s 30 minutes to Brussels Midi-Zuid train station. From there, it’s about 90 minutes to Paris’ Gare du Nord.
For the faster Thalys trains, ticket prices rise the closer you get to departure time. So, waiting til the day of travel means the ticket will be relatively expensive. The state-run NS train tickets for the Dutch and The Belgian trains have fixed prices, so there’s no need to pre-buy your ticket— just walk up and buy it at the ticket counter ( or machine) just prior to boarding.
